Todd StoneSherwood Pictures

Perry Revell, right, playing the role of medical doctor Gavin Keller, gives Catherine Holt (played by Erin Bethea) some personal attention which is lacking in her troubled marriage. Holt enjoys the interplay and flirtatous mannerisms of the young doctor, who gives a listening ear to her problems – thus complicating her relationship with her husband.

Everyone on the set of Fireproof has a story to tell about why they wanted to be a part of the production, either as a volunteer on the soup and sandwich line, running cables, or acting. Executive pastor Jim McBride said the hundreds of individuals who offered their services are the key to the movie’s success in holding costs down and making it possible to bring the story to a national audience.

Each of Sherwood’s two preceding movies were produced on a shoestring budget. While Fireproof may have slightly better financing, its budget is still far from adequate. That’s where volunteers fill the gap, from undergirding the various teams in prayer to making mashed potatoes for one of the chow lines.

Here’s a quick look at some of the folks, both on the screen and behind the scenes, who are making it all possible. They come from all walks of life with one purpose: to impact the culture for Christ through the use of media.

Todd StoneSherwood Pictures

Name: Ken Bevel

Residence: Leesburg

Vocation: Logistics officer, U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Albany, who will be deployed to Iraq in February. He is a member of the Sherwood choir.

Role: Firefighter Michael Simmons

Bevel is a career military officer and gave 30 days of his vacation time to working on the set of Fireproof. His favorite Bible verse is Ephesians 5:25 where it discusses how husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. He says he is praying that the movie will redeem failing marriages that will embrace the idea of covenant marriage.

In his own words here is why he volunteered, whether it was to serve on a lighting crew, serving eggs at breakfast, or acting:

“One night after church Alex and Stephen asked me to come to a casting call. I sort of laughed and told them that if I were accepted it would have to be of God because it certainly wouldn’t be of me because of what I had to offer – which was nothing. When I said that I had no acting experience they said they weren’t looking for actors; they were looking for people who had a heart for God. That’s the heart of what makes this so special and why I wanted to be part of it.

“I believe strongly in marriage and the covenant relationship between a man and a woman, and I hope that’s the lasting impression that people remember when they leave the theaters. Fireproof is not about making money but about changing lives. It is about using the medium of film making to get the gospel into homes that the church could not get into otherwise.

“One of my fondest memories was seeing how God supplied the needs of the production crew. We don’t have a Hollywood budget but God provided all the resources of the Albany police and fire departments, hospital, and other resources at or below cost – and in many cases for no charge. It was simply amazing to see Him at work.”

Joe WestburyIndex

Name: Stephen Dervan

Residence: Cumming

Vocation: Youth pastor, First Baptist Church of Alpharetta

Role: Fireman Wayne Floyd

Dervan is no stranger to Sherwood; he was born in Albany and grew up in the church, eventually accepting Christ through its ministry and later joining its staff as student ministry associate. He credits Sherwood pastor Michael Catt for his life-shaping role as mentor and Alex Kendrick for his pre-marital counseling.

Dervan donated two weeks of his vacation time, plus a few days offered by his employer, to accept an acting role. He, as others interviewed for these vignettes, has his personal reasons for wanting to be a part of the movie:

“My dad had been a fireman in Albany when I was growing up and that meant something to me to play that role in the movie. But on another level, my dad experienced several divorces so I saw the pain that was caused through those events.

“I love God’s concept of covenant marriage and wanted to be part of something [like this movie] that communicates that message to our society. One of the lines gets right to the point of marriage: ‘you don’t follow your heart, you lead your heart.’

“That says that you don’t let your emotions be the compass for your marriage. That’s the word hurting couples need to hear today, and I’m praying they will come to see God’s truth by viewing this movie.”

Hayley CattSherwood Pictures

Hayley CattSherwood Pictures

Names: Harris and Phyllis Malcom

Residence: Albany

Vocation: Harris is Ministry Resource Consultant for the GBC, based in Albany; Phyllis is a substitute teacher

Role: The couple are cast as John and Cheryl Holt, parents of the lead character Caleb Holt, played by Kirk Cameron. They originally signed up for prayer support and were asked to read for a part, which led to their casting in the movie. Harris is cast in a pivotal role as the father who issues the “love dare” to his son whose marriage in on the verge of collapse.

“This is definitely the first and most likely the last time we will ever be in a movie,” Harris Malcom says with a laugh. Stephen and Alex were looking for a couple in their 50s to play a part so that’s how we were drafted.

“My prayer is that this movie will show the world God’s plan for marriage and that lives will be changed for eternity as a result. So many couples today throw in the towel at the first sign of serious conflict and they don’t have the skills to know how to deal with those hard times. The hard times will come to every marriage sooner or later and knowing how to seek the Lord will make the difference between success and failure.

“One thing I especially like about this movie is how it addresses male pride and the related problems.

This is a ‘must-see’ movie for couples in all stages of their marriage.”

Hayley CattSherwood Pictures

Name: Chad Warbington

Residence: Albany

Vocation: Albany businessman

Role: Cast as an extra in the movie;

his wife is a set dresser.

Warbington, who will began his term as deacon chairman at Sherwood this month, said he wanted to “be a part of something extraordinary that is going to impact our culture for Christ.”

“I have two small children and I want to change the culture for them by helping produce movies that have a positive message. Our children don’t need to hear four-letter words on prime time family channels as we encountered the other night in a story about Christmas. We feel confident that this will be a movie that families can attend and learn positive values on a variety of levels that glorify Christ.

“I also want to help send a message to Hollywood that they can produce Christian movies that attract an audience.”

Joe WestburyIndex

Volunteers such as Cheryl Morris, serving tea during lunch, wear a variety of hats on the movie set. When she’s not in the serving line she manages the petty cash flow for purchases on the movie sets.

Name: Cheryl Morris

Residence: Sylvester

Vocation: Homemaker, bookkeeper for family farming business

Role: “I’m a ‘do this’ and ‘do that’ girl as well as being responsible for petty cash purchases needed on the set. Today I’m also serving iced tea for the lunch crowd.”

Fireproof is the first movie Morris has ever volunteered to serve in, even though she has been a member of Sherwood for seven years – two years before Flywheel hit the screen. She has strong reasons for wanting to give her time to see the movie become a success:

“The first 12 years of my marriage were a real roller coaster until my husband was saved. After that it was like the Lord gave me a totally new marriage. I already knew Christ but he wasn’t a believer and that caused some built-in problems from the outset.

“We have now been married for 30 years and I’ve personally seen how God can turn a marriage around. I’m praying that this movie will help save marriages like mine that were on the verge of collapse.”